Orders for Gulf troops

Australian forces sent to the Gulf would be under Australian command, Defence Minister Robert Hill said yesterday.

He said that while there was likely to be a broader coalition command structure, the troops' direct command would be Australian.

"They would therefore be operating under Australian rules of engagement against targets that had been approved by Australian authorities," he said.

He was speaking in Adelaide after the announcement on Friday by Prime Minister John Howard that about 1550 military personnel, including SAS troops, fighter pilots and their crews, could be on their way to the Gulf within weeks.

Mr Howard said they could be dispatched before any move by the United Nations to back military action against Iraq. ");document.write("

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The US army build-up in the region picked up pace on Friday when Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed orders to send nearly 35,000 more US troops to the Gulf.